A Vernon high school runner is taking his talents to the Maritimes.
The University of New Brunswick Reds men’s track and field team has signed distance runner Ashton Takhar of Fulton Secondary to its recruiting class of 2022.
Takhar has signed a U SPORTS Letter of Intent and will join the Reds ahead of the 2022-2023 Atlantic University Sport season.
“Ashton is a driven young man that comes from strong club and school programs,” said Chris Belof, UNB head coach of the Reds’ track and field and cross-country teams. “He’s incredibly hard-working, both athletically and academically.”
“I liked the atmosphere at the University of New Brunswick,” said Takhar, 17. “The prospect of training under the advisement of a good coach, as well as forging new friendships with student-athletes and other members of the university community is what drew me to UNB.”
He is finishing his Grade 12 year at Clarence Fulton Secondary School.
Takhar competed at the B.C. High School Track and Field Championships June 6-9 in. Langley. He finished 23rd in the men’s 800-metre run with a time of 2 minutes 8.01 seconds, and was 26th in the 1,500m in 4:27.04.
In 2021, Takhar won all of the North Okanagan Zone high school cross-country races.
“I bring a strong work ethic and commitment to the team, and I hope to be a leader on the team,” said Takhar, a veteran member of the Vernon Amateur Athletics Association club program.
“We’re excited to have Ashton joining us and I know he’s only starting to explore his abilities in our sport,” said Belof. “His range of abilities, both on the track and in cross-country, make him an exciting addition to our distance group, and we expect him to contribute at the AUS (Atlantic University Sport) and U SPORTS levels early in his career.”
Takhar says his short-term goal with the Reds is to acclimatize to training with the team and with a new coach. Long-term, he hopes to be a contender for the podium at the AUS and U SPORTS Championships.
Takhar will study arts while attending UNB.
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roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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